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TECHNOLOGY A23
Wednesday 23 September
Starbucks: Mobile order-and-pay now available nationally
CANDICE CHOI order-and-pay ahead in minutes.
AP Food Industry Writer Portland, Oregon late last
NEW YORK (AP) — If you year and it has since been Q: Is there anything you
hate standing in line for expanded to 3,400 of its
your Starbucks fix, there’s more than 7,400 compa- can’t order off the app,
an app for that. ny-owned U.S. stores. On
The Seattle-based coffee Tuesday, it will roll out the like packaged food items?
chain says its mobile app option to the remainder of
that lets people order and locations, including those A: You could order every-
pay in advance will be in New York City, Chicago
available nationally start- and San Francisco. thing on the app that you
ing Tuesday. That means Starbuck Chief Digital Of-
lattes, breakfast sandwich- ficer Adam Brotman ex- could order in the store. If
es and other items you plains the basics:
want could theoretically Q: Walk me through how we run out of something,
be waiting for you by the the app works.
time you arrive. A: You open your app and the app will reflect that.
Mobile order-and-pay is still in the upper right hand
rare, but could become corner, you’re going to be You can customize your or-
more common as fast-food able to click on a new tab
chains look to keep up with that says “Order.” When der just the way you would
changing expectations. you click “Order,” you’ll be
Taco Bell also introduced able to browse and send in the store.
a mobile app last year that that order to whichever
lets people order and pay store you select. The app Q: Is there a separate area
in advance. If it works well, will tell you the estimated
companies see such ser- pickup time. where people pick up their
vices and mobile apps in Then you walk right in and
general as a way to build pick up your order. orders?
customer loyalty. Q: Can you specify when
Starbucks Corp. introduced you want to pick up your In this March 18, 2015 file photo, Adam Brotman, Starbucks A: You go to the same
chief digital officer, talks about the company’s new mobile place you would normally
ordering app at Starbucks Coffee Company’s annual pick up your order. It will
shareholders meeting in Seattle. Associated Press have your name on it. It will
order? people place their orders? know your name from your
A: (The app) will tell you A: Generally, it is around
the estimated pickup time. three to five minutes. It can loyalty account. Or you
If it’s too quick, you could vary on two different fac-
place (the order) once you tors — what’s in your order, can go up and ask if you
get closer to the store. and how busy the store is.
You can pick whatever If there’s a bunch of other don’t see it.
store you want, and you mobile orders in front of
can check the wait times you, it might stretch your Q: This has been in Port-
at various stores. pickup time to 10 minutes.
Q: In general, how much But for the most part, it’s land for about nine months
time in advance should going to be three to five
now. What percentage of
orders now come through
mobile order-and-pay
there?
A: We’re not breaking out
the number yet.q
After outrage, India rethinks
draconian social media policy
NIRMALA GEORGE rage online over the threat that number is expected Indians use their mobile phones in New Delhi, India, Tuesday,
Associated Press to privacy and the possibil- to grow rapidly as more
NEW DELHI (AP) — The In- ity of prosecution for those people use smartphones Sept. 22, 2015. Associated Press
dian government back- who refused to save their to go online.
tracked Tuesday on a pro- communications. Communications and In- ware to scrutiny by Indian increases enormously.
posed requirement for all The uproar comes just days formation Technology Min- government agencies. The government has set an
messages sent on social before India’s Prime Minis- ister Ravi Shankar Prasad Prasad said the govern- Oct. 16 deadline for public
media and mobile chat- ter Narendra Modi heads said the government ment respects the right to feedback on the law.
ting apps to be saved to Silicon Valley where he was withdrawing its draft freedom of expression but Modi has been a keen user
for several months as a is to meet technology en- encryption policy. The is also trying to enhance of social media such as
way of defeating encryp- trepreneurs to persuade amendment to an existing security as the volume of Twitter and Facebook to
tion technology. them to invest in India. telecoms law would be re- Internet communications conduct diplomacy, con-
The proposed law stipu- Modi is scheduled to meet drafted and would not af- and other online activity gratulate athletes and ex-
lated that all social media the chief executives of Mi- fect most people. by individuals, government plain his political agenda
users would have to save crosoft and Google as well “I wish to make it very clear agencies and companies to the public.q
plain-text versions of mes- as visit the Facebook cam- that it is just a draft and not
sages for 90 days. Services pus where he will address the view of the govern-
such as WhatsApp, Face- a townhall-style meeting ment,” Prasad told a press
book, Twitter, Viber and with the social media gi- conference.
Google Chat encrypt mes- ant’s cofounder Mark The proposed law would
sages as they are sent be- Zuckerberg. also have required foreign
tween users. India has more than 350 companies using encryp-
There was widespread out- million Internet users and tion to submit their soft-
